Secret Confidant of the Devil Bats QB
by lycanine
Summary: An OC making appearance into the main stream comic. Will include romance later. Between my char and Hiruma? Maybe a hint, I dunno, evil grin. Disclaimer to all authorised copyrights. Just put up the names for voting of Kaoru's bf, I need votes. Ya Ha!
1. Chap 1 Beginning

Chapter 1

Two weeks before the First Year's Examination Acceptance Announcement

Last Night

CLICK. CLICK. CLICK.

Hiruma went to the school system and hacked into the student database to check the number of junior highs entering Deimon as 1st year students. "Kekeke, this year is a fruitful one. Lots of boys in the name list."

SNAP!

The bubble gum Hiruma is blowing popped as he gleefully printed the name list with the entrance number given to each examinee that took the entrance exam. His grin dropped as a thought occurred to him. This is the last year for Kurita and him to make it to the Christmas Bowl. If only that old man didn't get into an accident, Musashi might be…Closing his eyes briefly, Hiruma snapped out from his depressing thought. Musashi will came back, he knew the guy too well. The passion for American Football runs through the blood of the three of them and their souls yeaned to play Amefuto with the big boys at Tokyo Dome.

BEEP.

Hiruma took the papers from the tray and stuff it into his back pocket. Switching off the computer and printer, he walked out of the teachers' room. Hiruma Youichi, 2nd year student of Private Deimon Senior High, never show any weakness to anyone, be it his enemies or friends. Even his two closest friends, Kurita Ryoukan and Takekura Gen, better known as Musashi, Hiruma hardly let his guard down. With one exception, Cerberus, his dog companion, gets to see the other side. But that's about to change as Fate decides to tamper his orderly life.


	2. Chap 2 The Meeting

Thanks to all who review this story, this chapter will be a bit longer and my OC makes her appearance in here. Any OOCness of chars do tell, so I can edit it. All the events happened here are before the spring semester starts, which is in March. For anyone who didn't know Jap, Mutou -sugarless, Arigatto - thank you, Gomennasai - sorry, Yorushiku - Nice to meet you

_Italic are thoughts_

Chapter 2

Next day, after football practice

"Fucking store assistant didn't stock up the Mutou gums. Even have the cheek to tell me that he sold the last box to a customer before me. Who the fuck is that crazy to purchase a whole box of Mutou bubble gums?" Hiruma cussed and grumbled his way home from the convenience store. He's still in a fuming mood when he reached to his rented apartment.

"Eh? Who's the fucking idiot that leaves all these empty boxes all over the place!" Hiruma kicked one of them out of the way. "Wait till I find out who this fucker is…" Digging for his keys and grumbling under his breath, he was too engrossed to notice a tall figure carrying loads of boxes staggering towards his direction. When he finally unlocks the door and swings it open, it smacked into the stranger and sends both the boxes and its carrier toppling backwards.

"Hieeee!" CRASH

"Huh? What the heck…" Hiruma stuck his head backwards and saw a homo sapien being buried under piles of boxes. The hand that stuck out from under the rumble doesn't seem to be moving. _Fuck! Don't tell me he's knocked out! Shit! Just my day._ "Oie, you alive under there?" Hiruma squatted down and poked the arm.

"Gwaff…" The object under the boxes moved but it seems like he couldn't get up. Hiruma removed some of the boxes at the top and the person managed to push the rest away. "Arigatto. I nearly got suffocated in there. Hmm? Are you in Cosplay?" The person asked, pointing at his ears.

Hiruma blinked in surprise when he uncovered a female under those boxes then got infuriated when she asked about his ears. "These are fucking genuine human ears. Who has the fucking time to play dress-up!" The girl, named Yamamura Kaoru, blinked in astonishment when the elven teen spewed vulgarity at her. She sat back and took a closer look at her new neighbor. He's dressed in high schooler uniform and based from the color and style, she guessed it's from Deimon High. Blond hair all spiked up with some falling forward as fringes. Two pairs of earrings studded on his ears and he has the most intimidating pair of eyes she's ever seen. Overall, he's more devil-like than fairy-like.

The girl turned her head and looked at the door that's opened. _Oh, so that's the thing I slammed into earlier. I doubt I'll get an apology from him. Better introduced myself. Basic courtesy._ "Hi, I just moved in not too long and going to be your new neighbor. My name is…" Before she could complete her sentence, Hiruma stood up and took out an AK model and points the nozzle at her.

"So you're the idiot who leaves all these boxes lying all over the area!" Suddenly, as if he realized he lost his cool over something trivial, he paused his tirade. Kaoru sees him taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. She pushed the tip of the firearm away from her face and looked up at him. "Let's just start right at the beginning before you start to lose your cool again."

"Who the fuck do you think you are to tell me what to do?" demanded Hiruma. Kaoru raised her brows and pretend he never spoke as she continued. "I'm your new neighbor. My name's Yamamura Kaoru. I moved in recently, about a week ago. Today, I'm just clearing the boxes and unnecessary junks left by the previous tenant. Yorushiku." Kaoru stick her hand out, waiting for Hiruma to respond.

Hiruma is at a loss, something that rarely, if ever happened to him. This female in front of him is not shock to see him wielding a firearm in public, not frightened by his temper and threats, and can calmly re-introduced herself as if she encounter this incident frequently in her everyday life. It reminded him of one of his brief visits to the States.

"It's your turn to introduce yourself after my self-introduction. It's basic courtesy." Kaoru prompted when Hiruma remain silent after her greeting. She didn't know the turmoil under his aloof expression but she did notice that he wasn't looking directly at her.

Breaking one of his golden rules for the 1st time since he moved out from his family, Hiruma stuck his left hand out and pulled Kaoru up from the ground. "Hiruma Youichi. Yorushiku." Kaoru smiled, "There, it wasn't so bad, right? Hey, I bought a box of bubble gums from the convenience store. You don't mind it being sugarless, right? Man, I thought I'd be stuck in an area where the shops here don't sell Mutou gums. Luckily, I managed to locate this San San store that has the last box on sale. So naturally, I grabbed the whole box. You'll never know when the stocks coming in."

Hiruma blinked, replaying back her rambling and latched on to one sentence. "Hold one fucking minute! You are the one who bought the last box of Mutou gums!" Kaoru nodded, and Hiruma's features turned demonic. He pointed the semi-auto rifle back at her and threatened to shoot her. To his shock, Kaoru laughed.

Hugging her stomach, she squatted down and howled some more. Hiruma's temper deflated and he clicks back the safety lock of the rifle. He really can't hold his temper at someone when he or she is not terrified by it. By the time she managed to control her laughter into small fits of giggles, Hiruma already kept the firearm away from sight.

"Gomennasai. I didn't mean to break in to laughter. It's just that, your face. It looks so terrifying yet so funny! And the way you behaved over a box of gums…Gawd, I hadn't had a hard laugh for a very long time. Man, I'm pooped and totally out of breath." Kaoru grinned back at the boy. Hiruma shook his head, his palm smacked on to his face, covering his eyes. He could see it in the school news magazine: 'Deimon High Resident Devil Loses His Edge & Being Laughed At His Threats.' The humiliation is one thing, but his hard-earn reputation will go down the drain if anyone gets a whiff of it.

"Look, forget whatever happened just now. Treat it as if it has never happened and you've never laughed like a lunatic. And don't you ever tell anyone around here about the rifle." Hiruma hissed at her. Kaoru nodded; she didn't dare to make a sound, leastways she break into gales of laughter again.

"Well, at least it explains something." Hiruma looked at her with a slight cock on his head. "You see, the cashier actually told me to just buy a few to half a dozen of the gums. He did reassure me that the next stock is arriving at the end of the month. I don't really trust him and moreover, I dislike shopping for food when I'm busy, like today. So I bought a month's supply of dry products. He was quite pale when I walked out." Frowning in thought, she recalled the cashier mentioned something under his breath about Hiruma and about him being a blackmailing demon.

Hiruma continued scrutinizing her as she stood up and straighten herself. His brows rose and his eyes widen by a fraction. For a female, she is tall. About the same height as Ishimaru, the track and field team runner. He reasoned that it could be due to her height that made her less easily threatened. "Say, since I deprived you of the bubble gums you intended to buy, why not I give you, hm, five sticks. How's that? It's my way of saying sorry to you since you're going to be my friend."

"When in the hell did I become your friend?" griped Hiruma. Kaoru ignored his comment, her right hand stuffed inside her pants pocket, digging for something. "Ah, here it is." She pulled out the packets of gums from her pocket and hand it over to Hiruma. When he didn't respond, she took his left hand and slapped the packets into his palm.

Hiruma looked that the gum packets in his hand and lifted his gaze at her. She looked at him with an expectation of thanking her for her kind gesture. He nodded to her and pocketed the packets. "You're not much of a talker, aren't you?" Kaoru asked him as he turned back towards his apartment. Hiruma stopped for a moment then continued his pace into his home and shut the door. Kaoru huffed at his direction, "Just you wait, my friend. You have no idea that the reaction you gave me is an issue of challenge to my curiosity."

Inside his den, Hiruma sighed as he lean against the door. He heard her mumbling something but couldn't quite make out what it was. Then he heard the shuffling of boxes that tells him Kaoru is packing up the boxes but no sound of footsteps from her as she moved around. _She's very light on her feet, pity she's a female._ He could use a runningback or better still, a receiver. He proceeded further into his living room and saw the red blinking light on his answering machine. Ejecting the tape, he threw it into his ever-growing pile of recorded mini tapes in the box on his worktable. He'll have to start listening to them soon. Rubbing his face, he'll think better after a nice hot shower and a dip in the tub. Sliding in a new tape into the recorder, Hiruma pressed a few buttons and left it alone.


	3. Chap 3 Behind Closed Doors

Hee, Thanks for the reviews! Since I understand the agony of waiting for updates, I'll make this exception by posting this up earlier than scheduled.

I've made my OC a childhood friend to one of the players of Oujou White Knights. By the way, Amefuto is the Japanese way of saying American Football. Pay attention to the char's speech in the TV series. And a little special to all Hiruma loving fans out there, I've made an assumption as to where he really get his dough other than blackmails and suspicious-looking credit cards in his wallet. The idea of his assumed wealth is a copyright by Lycanine. Pardon my grammar. Enjoy and review. Ya-Ha!

Chapter 3

It was evening when Kaoru came back from her outing. After she clear up the mess on the corridor, she went to meet her childhood friend, Shin Seijuurou, a linebacker in Oujou White Knights at his school. Everyone in Oujou knows about her after she made a surprise visit after last year practice match with Deimon Devil Bats. The usually quiet and somber looking Shin actually looked quite pleased to see her. At first, the team mistaken her as Shin's girlfriend but after a lengthy conversation with the members, Kaoru managed to convince them that they're just very good friends.

After that visit last year, she didn't meet up with Shin until now. Both are busy with their lives; him with his training in Amefuto, she with her track and field training and design projects. But she did frequently visit the White Knights and made quite a number of friends among them.

The purpose of this outing is to convince that Shogun coach of Oujou to allow the boys a night off from training to celebrate her getting an apartment and living on her own. She finally got the green light from that stick-in-the-mud coach of her friend.

Since she just moved into this apartment, licensed under her aunt's name, she wanted to have a housewarming party. It's the first time she's ever been alone on her own. Most of her junior high and her 1st year in senior high, she stayed with her older brother, who's married to nurse. He's a doctor in a private hospital. Very useful to have two medical people who can help you in whatever injuries you suffered from sports. Unfortunately, her latest injury put her out of the track field team permanently. Deciding a new environment is needed, she convinced her family to let her strike out on her own.

She'll miss her former senior high school but that can't be helped. She can't stand the kind gestures from her former track mates. It's been more than half a year since she ran full throttle on a track. So far, no one could beat her record time when she sprinted for a distance of 36 meters, her own training distance for speed. That's similar to Amefuto 40-yd dash. She was the reigning queen of the 50 and 100 meters sprint. Until that fatal day.

Shaking her head, Kaoru snapped herself out from that depressing thought. She stuck the keys to the door of her new apartment and unlocked it. Closing it behind her, she removed her scarf and outer coat. She moved to the living room and sat on her three-seater soft leather sofa. Tomorrow, she'll have to get her transfer papers done in time for the new semester of the year. Then, one week before the school starts, the housewarming party. Since she invited the White Knights, she can't asked her former track mates, mostly female, to come. They're all Sakuraba fangirls and Kaoru will not have a stampede, here in her apartment. That means two separate events or a single one.

Lying flat out on her sofa, Kaoru decided she still couldn't face them yet. Not until she knows how fast and how hard she could push herself. "Should I ask Hiruma to come to the party?" she wondered aloud as she gazed at her ceiling. "Wait a minute, Hiruma Youichi…Hiruma. Where have I heard this name before?" Kaoru sat up as a thought suddenly occurred to her. "After telling Shin and the others about my plans on transferring to Deimon High, Takami did say that to keep an eye out on one particular person…"

Picking up her phone, she called the QB of Oujou. Crossing her fingers, Kaoru hoped it's not her new neighbor. Minutes later after her conversation with Takami, Kaoru is still flabbergasted. "If I believed in fate, I'll say that the three ladies purposely set me up to meet the mysterious, bad-tempered, devil for a reputation kind of guy and have him as my next door neighbor."

"If the rumors were true, then I'll be seeing him tomorrow in Deimon."

Inside Hiruma's house

Hiruma is still up and listening to the tapes he'd accumulated for months. He listens his mother's update about the activities of the family, including his father. Only his mother has access to his residential and handphone numbers. However, he's not surprised to hear his father's stern voice being recorded among the messages. After all, they're two peas from a pod.

That's the only reason why he chooses to stay in a remote area of Tokyo. In an area called Deimon. He learned everything he needs to know to keep himself hidden from his father, until he's ready to face him, face them. His family. This apartment is under an alias, making it more difficult for his father to track him should he ever takes it into his head in finding him. The numbers Hiruma gave to his mother are untraceable, unless his family decided to use a computer tracking system similar to FBI's.

His computer is running a program that took him hours to correct. If it's successful, he could snail mail the finished product to the company and wait for his next assignment via email. All cash payments for his services are given to him personally at different locations in the town, at nightfall. His conditions of agreement in handling their projects. Creating security programs to protect data from being hacked is a good way of earning bucks. Especially since most of the businesses that used his programs are major stockholders of Japan's economy and banks all over the country. He might get an overseas assignment soon, judging by the positive responses from foreign investors.

Everyone thought that he got his money from illegal means; some said it's from the principal. Some said it's from blackmailing. Hiruma is not planning on enlightening them; they could all burn in hell for all he cared. Tomorrow is another day of training with Kurita. Without Musashi around, it doesn't seem that fun anymore.

"Fuck that. Where the hell did that thought come from. Even without him, we'll still make it to the Christmas Bowl." Silence greeted his comment. "Shit, must be all that recorded messages that got to my nerves." Hiruma checked the pile of remaining tapes. _Only five more to go. Might as well get it over with._

An hour later, Hiruma shuts his computer and went to his bedroom. As he plops back on the king size bed, he wondered if he could even dare to open up to another. The image of Anezaki Mamori appeared in his mind. Hiruma cussed aloud and used a pillow to cover his head. Then the image of his new neighbor replaced Mamori's face. He removed the pillow and thought it over. Soon, his lids drifted down and sleep claim his conscious mind.

A/N: Hee, I added a hint of HiruXZaki (Mamori surname). That's the romance part of the story. I'm a supporter of their hinted relationship. No Yaoi, gome.


	4. Chap 4 1st Yr Acceptance

Arigatto for the reviews! To coolberyl: I'm glad you like my OC. To diitogrrl: I'm happy that you like the addition of Shin into this story, I'll try to keep his appearance a regular event, just for you.

Kekeke, HiruXMamo is not the only romance I'm adding in to this story. My OC is gonna have romance blossoming around her but not so soon. I'm be asking everyone who is reading this to vote which Eyeshield 21 char, excluding Shin, will be her main squeeze. I'll put up the vote before Monta join the team.

This is from Book 1 or 1st episode of the manga. I took sample scenes from both the manga and TV series so it's best if you've know what's already happened. It's going to be a long while before the story will proceed to the part where Sena first met Kurita at the clubhouse due to my OC's flashback. What is it about, I'm not telling, kekeke. You have to wait till I'm finished with it.

The whole scheme revolves mainly around my OC and Hiruma so I'm not repeating the story already plotted out, it'll be more of behind the scene. I'll try to keep myself as faithful to the original script as much as possible. Timeline is according to the manga. Review and no pun intended if it went OOC. Ya-Ha!

Chapter 4

On the day of the Examination Acceptance Announcement

Kaoru went to Deimon High to get her official papers and the new uniforms and student handbook. There is a huge crowd standing in front of a bulletin board, everyone holding a slip of paper in their hands, muttering their numbers as they searched the columns of numbers displayed. Many turned up in their junior high uniform, some in home clothes. Among the examinees that are present, some went on behalf of the candidates. At the background there are people that cheered as they saw their numbers.

She took notice of a girl with mixed blood is standing beside a boy much shorter in height. Kaoru know that boy; he nearly run into her earlier when she took a detour and walked around the outer premises. She seems to be looking at the board intently as the boy stood there shaking like a leaf. Suddenly, the girl cheered and said something to the boy as he smiled at her. Seems like he got through the entrance exam. Then she left his side and head for the school main building.

As Kaoru about to follow her, something caught her attention. She moved closer to the skinny-looking boy's direction until she's almost perpendicular to him from behind, at a distance. Then she saw a familiar figure appearing beside the far end of the board. Hiruma, together with a huge guy with a chestnut shaped head, Kurita, moved towards the boy's direction. From walking slowly till running up to him, Kaoru wondered what are they planning to do until she saw them toss him in the air, cheering that he got in. They lead Sonic, a name that Kaoru nicknamed the skinny boy, towards a bench and handed him a phone. She saw Sonic dialed and talk through it like a secondbefore Hiruma snatched it away from him.

Huffy, a nick given to the girl by Kaoru, rushed up to Sonic's rescue and confronted Hiruma. Kaoru could literality see sparks between them and the tension was very high. Suddenly, another boy shouted a cry of joy and it caught Hiruma's attention. He quickly moved towards the boy like a heat seeking missile. Kurita lumbered after him. Huffy turned and told Sonic something that made him turned very pale. Kaoru sneak up closer to eavesdrop over their conversation.

"……he'll drain all the life out of you until there's nothing left but skin and bones!" said Huffy. "Hi-Hiruma…?" whimpered Sonic. Huffy nodded. Then the two of them noticed Kaoru hovering nearby, looking at them.

"Yes? Can I help you?" asked Huffy. Kaoru smiled in greeting, "Hi, I'm newly transferred here and I noticed the commotion that happened here earlier. Is there a problem?"

"No, not at all. Are you a 1st year or 2nd year?" Kaoru showed two fingers at Huffy. "My name's Kaoru, Yorushiko." "Hi, my name's Mamori and this fellow here is Sena. I'm a 2nd year student here, if you need any help, feel free to ask me." Kaoru nodded. Soon, the three of them went to the main building to register their names and get the student handbooks for both Sena and Kaoru. Sales of uniforms will be held three days from today, so they decided to meet up on that day to purchase them. Textbooks and other stuff are on sale today, but Sena didn't bring any money with him. Mamori told him not to worry, leave everything to her. He nodded, thanking her.

Kaoru realized that Mamori is very protective over Sena, like a mother hen over her only chick. While this is good if he was young, in this current situation, Kaoru felt that this cocooning would not let Sena grow to be a self-assured man. She wanted to tell Mamori this fact but held her tongue. There might be reasons as to why she is very concerned over Sena's welfare, so Kaoru hoped Sena could realize it on his own that hiding behind his nee-chan will not help him in the long run.

Kaoru thought over the scene earlier between Hiruma and Sena before Mamori came to the young boy's rescue. "Ano, Sena? Why did Hiruma hand you a phone?" Sena looked up at her, "It's for me to call my parents and tell them about my acceptance. At least, that's what he said to me and he didn't mind it one bit. Unfortunately, I didn't get to tell my Okasan much though…" Kaoru looked at him, hiding her suspicions to herself. That devil will not do something that has no gain to him.

Kaoru bought all the things, excluding textbooks, needed to study in Deimon. Mamori advised her to purchase her books after her 1st day in class, once she got her time schedule from her homeroom teacher. Kaoru asked her how and when will she get to know which class she'll be posted. "For transferred students, normally on the 1st day of school. I know my class has no vacancy so most probably you'll be posted to the other five classes."

"Can I request for a specific class to be posted into?" Mamori pondered over the subject, then reply back. "I think so, why?" "No particular reason, just curious," answered Kaoru. After waving Mamori and Sean goodbye, Kaoru went to the registration counter. They were packing up for the day so she approached to one of the staff. After making some enquires from several of them, she asked about being posted into Year 2 Room 1. At first, the words didn't register in their mind. Until they saw the one particular name appeared in the student register.

"Hiruma Youichi!" they squeaked. All the people present and within hearing range stopped at whatever they are doing and stared at Kaoru. Their various expressions of terror and horror indicate one thing; this girl either had a death wish or a screw loosen somewhere in her head. The head-in-charge asked her to reconsider her choice, but Kaoru pointed out that class is the only one that has vacancy.

Give up in persuading her to change decision, he reluctantly keep his peace. Kaoru thanked him and took off. As she walked back home, Kaoru recalled the day she went to school to get her transfer papers done.

Kekekekekeke (Next chapter will be flashbacks, 2 in total. I'll try to post them on the same day if possible)


	5. Chap 5 Flashback: Unexpected

This is the 1st of the flashbacks Kaoru will be having, as I promised. The 2nd part is WIP, I'll try to get it done in a day or two. Just a reminder for those who didn't read my previous chapter, I'll be posting the names of potential boyfriends for Kaoru three chapters from now. Do vote your favorites or I'll take that decision into my own hands (evil laughter echoed into the air)

As to the continuation of my previous work in Eyeshield 21, I might try to work something out between Hiruma and Tsukikaba, aka Kaoru as well. Most probably will add another main casts from the manga. A villian this time round. I'm sure you can guess who. Anyway, onwards with the story. Do Read & Review. Ya-Ha!

Chapter 5

Flashback, day after the 1st meeting with Hiruma

"Well, hello. What have we got here?" She slowly approached a stout-looking dog. Kaoru got lost after she left the admin office and decided to explore the campus. She found herself facing a ferocious looking canine of unknown breed, lazing in front of an outhouse in a remote part of the compound.

It got up after being disturbed by Kaoru's intrusion into his territory and now stands facing her, its stance on high alert. It has long, sharp spikes on his collar, its mouth lined with Jaws-like teeth. It's staring intently at Kaoru, its body ready to pounce on her at the slightest provocation. She shifted until the distance between them is just a couple of feet away. Kaoru chewed on her gum absently as she tried to think of a solution to escape from this predicament. As she blows the gum, the hound's nose twitched. Sniffing the air, it moved its head around slightly, as if to find the source of the scent that caught its attention.

Cerberus sniffed at the familiar scent he associated with his human companion. When he didn't see him around the area, Cerberus traced the minty smell with his nose back to the female intruder. He watched her slowly lowered her body until she's squatting, with one knee raised, in a runner's starting position. Neither party is budging from their positions; it's a Mexican standoff for the two unless a third party interferes.

That third party appears in a form of the Devil Bats QB. Hiruma left Kurita on the field, training with a guard block dummy as he went back to the clubhouse to change his jersey. He took the shirt with a tear on the right sleeves instead of a new one back home. Luckily, there are plenty of extras in the locker back in the club. When he turned into a corner, he noticed Cerberus is standing in front of the entrance of the clubhouse, his stance aggressive. When he got closer, Hiruma saw his neighbor in a crouching position, her posture semi-erect, like a wounded-up spring, ready for action.

He comes to a decision to divert their attention from each other to him immediately after watching the two for a few seconds. It's one thing for Cerberus to attack someone in Deimon, regardless any given instruction. It's a whole new ball game when the target is not only his neighbor, but also someone who Hiruma secretly admire the courage for not backing down at him or the hound when pushed to a corner.

"Cerberus, that's a friend, not foe." Both human and canine turned their head towards Hiruma at the sound of his voice. Kaoru relaxed her body and got up slowly. Even though Hiruma gave his command, she'd rather play safe than sorry, not letting her guard around the beast. Hiruma walked up to the dog and start linking the chains pegged on the ground onto his collar.

"What the hell are you doing here? Walking around, looking for trouble? Or to get attack by Cerberus!" snapped the QB. She moved closer, until she's standing beside the incensed teenager. "Cerberus, huh? Did you fancied yourself being Hades, Lord of the Underworld?" Hiruma humphed, his gaze fixed on anything but her mirth expression. A slight tinge of pink is hinted on his cheekbones. Kaoru noticed the coloration and chose to keep her peace.

Her eyes widen as she took notice of the uniform he's wearing. "Amefuto club? Deimon Devil Bats?" Hiruma nodded, not expecting her to know right off the bat that he's playing American Football. "Damn, Takami never told me you being a player…. " Kaoru muttered under her breath, scowling at no one in particular. His ears peaked up as he picked up the name of Oujou White Knights QB being mentioned.

"What are you doing here? As far as I recalled, there's no one by the name of Yamamura studying in this school." Kaoru turned her attention back at him. Cerberus is just lying between them, his eyes looking at the two humans as his ears twitched at their voices.

"I'm getting myself transferred here, just handed in the procession forms. I'm from Seibu High initially. " Hiruma give her a look, the interest in this eyes doesn't border well with her senses. They are telling her the devil has plans and she's smack right in the middle of it. Desperately needing a distraction, she immediately squatted down, her gaze fixed at the dog.

"Where did you find him? Is he a pet of yours?" Hiruma arched his brow, telling her he's not fooled by her sudden change of topics. "He wandered into the field one sunny day during practice and we came to an agreement after a lengthy discussion." Disbelief etched on her face, Kaoru stared at him, waiting for him to clarify. Silence descends between them, and for a while she thought he's not going to continue. Then, he heaved a sigh, sounding like he'd come to some mental conclusion.

"See this tear, it's the handy work of this hound," Hiruma resumed as he pointed the jagged opening on his sleeve. "He gave me this as I slapped the collar around his neck when we squared off." He paused, emerald eyes gazing at a distance, unfocused on the present. "Actual fact, neither of us won. In time, we slowly get to know and understood each other better, using each other's strengths to get what we need. So, no, he's not a pet."

Kaoru nodded, not uttering a sound to break his monologue. When she sensed that he'd said enough, Kaoru decided to tell him a bit of her past to him. "I was a former track & field runner, unbeatable in the 50m and 100m sprint in my school. Last spring, before the competition, I pushed too hard and injured myself. Coach pulled me out of the team and told me take a break. It took three months of rest and rehab to get back to my feet." She stood up, needing to move around as she continues her story.

"It was at summer training camp when I realized that I couldn't run competitively. What's the use of me being in a sport where I can't be on the field?" Kaoru snapped, fists clenched, her eyes staring at an unknown opponent. Hiruma said nothing as he saw her vibrate with anger. Blinking, she brings herself back to the present, slowly relaxing her tense body.

"I dropped out and put up a game face to tide over the remaining months. When possible, I avoided my teammates and Coach. My brother told me not to push myself too hard. I've suffered injuries before so it was a matter of time before the stress pulled my body down." She stopped her pacing, and then explains further. "He's a doctor, so he knows what he's saying have some truth in it. I ignored it, and this is the result."

"That's why I transferred here. I need a new environment to get over it. The comforting words are nice but they're driving me demented. It's been roughly six months since I've run full throttle and almost a year off the tracks. I can run, very fast, but I'm not sure if I can race again. You race to win, not to get second best or third."

Kaoru stopped in her tracks, her back facing Hiruma. Taking a deep breath, she slowly exhales, letting out all the pent up emotion she felt during her talk. Hiruma slowly stood up, his face deep in thought. Before he could break the silence between them, she intrude in. "You are a private person, that much I guessed from our first encounter. I think, in some ways, we're alike. To share something private like your thoughts earlier…I thank you for placing faith in my trust. Any conversation between us will not be told to a third party." There was a moment of awkwardness after that speech, and then Kaoru chuckled.

"Sorry for setting such an uncomfortable mood. Anyway, if you ever need a listening ear, don't hesitate to approach me." Her back is still facing him, so she didn't see the look of surprise on his face. No one had him pegged so fast and that accurately before. The information she told him earlier was already in his book, including where she used stay and which is her former school. What he didn't expect was the passion and drive towards a goal only to be dashed by rashness.

This is the first time he was put in an unsettling position ever. Complete trust promised to each other and a vow of confidence in keeping a secret. Few people dared approach him, let alone offer help. This is a complete novelty for him. To be honest, he didn't know why he told her his thoughts in the first place. Maybe, as what she says, they are similar in some ways.

His lips curved into a grin, a genuine smile. When she turned back to face him, he's back to his devil incarnation look. "Do you want to race?" Kaoru blinked at his question. "Well? What's your answer?" she nodded, not knowing why her reply was any importance to him. Hiruma walked over the dog, which's already dozing under the shade of the clubhouse. He entered the building, only to reappear moments later, his arms carrying a set of football gear.

"Suit up and meet me in the fields." He pointed the direction where he came with his head and dumped the stuff onto her. Turning his back, he removed the jersey and replaced it with a new one. Kaoru looked at the stuff in her arms, then back at him. Shrugging mentally, she proceeded into the interior of the club to change.

He went back first and got Kurita to refill more bottles and get more ice to cool their drinks. Only when the huge figure entered into the premises did he prepare the layout for the 50m dash. So when Kaoru arrived at the field, fully geared except for the helmet, Hiruma was alone, with the cones lined to indicate the start and end point of the 50m. She stood there; looking at the cones, then turn to Hiruma for instructions.

"Go and stand at that end over there. When I give the signal, run like your life depends on it." She walked over and did some leg-stretching exercise and body warm-up to avoid any cramps. By the time she's ready, Hiruma's itching to go. "Hurry up, will you? I haven't got all day!" Crouching at the starting line, Kaoru nodded.

"Ready…, Set…, Go!"

BANG

Hiruma took out a flare gun and release it into the air. She shot off like a rocket, sprinting down the route with no hesitation or regards to her injury.

CLICK

Hiruma waved the dust away from his face. She tore down the track and went pass the finishing line without decreasing her speed. His eyes looked at the figures recorded on the stopwatch and raised his brows. Kaoru stopped a couple of feet away and dropped on to the ground like a rock. It's been too long since she done that and her old injury is reminding her that with a vengeance.

It's throbbing hard, not too much to aggravate her but just enough to tell her that's it for today. A shadow hangs over her, blocking most of the light. She tiled her head back and looked at him.

"What's your previous timing?" She squinted at him, "100m or 50m? Ok, ok, I know, bad joke. Ahh, about 6 s, for 50m, I think. Not my best timing though. My aim was to reduce it to 5.6s – 5.8s." Hiruma released the timer; the string attached to it was wrapped around his palm, preventing it from hitting on to her head. Kaoru reached out to stop the swinging pendulum and note the timing. "Oh…wow…that's out of expectation." Hiruma grunted. "If the distance was 40 yd, your speed will 4.2s exactly," he commented.

Kaoru took a few seconds to digest that information. "Could you, like help me up? I kinda overstrained my injury." Hiruma looked at her outstretched hand and back at her. He tightens his lips to a grim and quickly pulled her up. Turning away, he walked towards the benches placed at the vicinity and sat down. Kaoru followed, limping slowly. That didn't escape his detection as he took a sip. When she sat down with a sigh, Hiruma handed her a bottle of water.

Nodding her thanks, she swigs the liquid down her parched throat. Then she squeezed the remaining water over her head and face to cool off. The distance between them wasn't too close nor was it too far apart. He took out his black book and scribbled something inside. She closed her eyes, tiled her head back and zoned out for a while. Kurita found them in this position when he came back, in his arms are the refreshments per requested. He wondered who could be wearing one of their uniforms.

Kaoru sensed someone approaching them and cracked open an eyelid to spy. From the upside-down vision, she noticed that the person is a guy and boy, was he huge. The thing that nearly made her fall backwards was the unusual shape of his head. It looks like a water chestnut. Suddenly, an image float into her mind and she chocked back her laughter.

Hiruma felt the vibration as she controlled her giggling fits. He got a glimpse of Kurita long before Kaoru sensed him and waiting to see what reaction she will give. She behaved exactly as he predicted. Kaoru swung her body back to the front and tucked her head between her knees, trying to suppress her laughter. Her arms are around her waist, fingers digging into her sides. Then as sudden as she starts having the jiggles, she lifted her head up and took a deep breath.

Hiruma turn his head a bit and watched the scene played out before him; Kaoru stared forward, her opened eyes unfocused. Her grinning expression slipped away like water as she closes her eyes and exhales to compose herself. Then she turned to look at him. Inwardly, he's impressed at how fast she got her self-control back. She stood up as Kurita reached upon them. "Hello, I'm Yamamura Kaoru, going to be transfer here in spring as a 2nd year student. Yorushiko." He beamed at her, and introduced himself as Kurita Ryoukan, 2nd year Deimon student.

"Are you going to try out playing Amefuto?" Kaoru shook her head, "I doubt females are allowed in the field as players. I just wanted to see if I could run again and Hiruma-kun loan these to me." Kurita's jaws nearly dropped at her comments and he turned to look at his junior high buddy. Hiruma will never lend anything out to a complete stranger. Kaoru saw his response and realizes her mistake and another thing from the enigmatic teen. Deciding not to arouse Kurita's curiosity any further, she beats a hasty retreat.

"Ah, look at the time, I've got to get going now. Have something on later today. Bye Kurita-san, it's a pleasure meeting you. Ja, Hiruma. I'll leave the stuff inside the clubhouse." She waved and moves away as quick as her legs are able to without annoying her injury further. Kurita waved back, Hiruma couldn't be bothered, but she did peek over her shoulder and saw he nodded back as an acknowledgement.

Kurita popped a question as soon as she disappeared around the corner of the building. "Ne, Hiruma. Who's that?" Hiruma closed the book with a snap and stood up. "Just someone I've known," he answered back. "Come on, let's start practicing. Time's are wasting."

"Hmm," Kurita knows that the subject is closed and collect his helmet on the bench.


	6. Chap 6 Flashback: Dinner

Gomennasai everyone, been very busy for the last few months with exams, then work and now projects...To all who like my work so far, arigatto for the reviews. I forgot yer nick; you commented that my story starting to get pretty dry. Well, as I've mentioned earlier, this is Kaoru's POV, so most of the action will involved around her. However, you did make me reconsider and I did editing on this chapter. Part of the many reasons why it took so long to be posted.

Another is I've wrote an AU of Hiruma & Mamori based on a song. It's going to be a five part special, and it mainly rotate around the couple. I've completed one, another in WIP. I'll post them after I done up all five. This is the last of her Flashback. But it doesn't mean there wouldn't be any bits of past cropping in the story. It's one way of making the story progress with bits of flashback. Ok, enough of the chit chat, Onwards with the story, Ya-Ha!

Chapter 6

Flashback, later in the afternoon, on the same day

Once out of the school compound, Kaoru continued walking at the same pace she used to flee from the scene. Ideas of how to react differently to the one she made earlier filtered in her mind and were being thrown aside because of one reason: she made a wrong judgment call as to how Hiruma would react to a stranger. Based on Kurita's reaction, it seems that he doesn't do these kinds of actions without a gain or advantage to his purpose.

His earlier gesture to time her must be from the intentions of his heart. Sighing, she wondered would he ever forgive her for putting him in a difficult position. _Cynical exterior but an honorable and magnanimous heart inside, interesting insight. If excluding the second point and include the following points like solitary, obsessive drive towards a particular given goal, I wonder if that makes him a Scorpion. _Frowning, Kaoru pondered over that possibility. She'll have to check her notes to make sure. (refer to a/n at the bottom)

The moment she come to a halt before her apartment door, she winced as more thoughts of how Hiruma's reaction towards her behavior and the spot she has put him into in front of his teammate. She'll better apologize to him later when he's back from practice.

----------

Hiruma got back to his apartment at dusk. The days are slowly getting longer as it's almost Spring. Even though Kurita didn't say anything during practice, those glances he keep getting from that buttama tells him that he's dying of curiosity. Just that he respected the QB's decision for not saying anything. Being put in a position like today was not something that Hiruma desires, in fact he detests it tremendously. _Kaoru and her wayward tongue_, he mentally grumbled as he approaches his doorsteps. He halted his steps when he noticed her waiting just outside his unit, along the corridor. She turned around the minute the sound of footsteps ceased.

Kaoru shifted her feet, trying to gather her thoughts and string them into words as Hiruma looked at her with a hint of irritation in his eyes. "Ah…regarding to the incident earlier…Gomennasai! I didn't meet to put you in a spot, it's a bad judgment call on my side and I should have considered it before opening my mouth. I still hope we're still good neighbors and friends. So…apology accepted?"

Hiruma stared at her; Kaoru's eyes are looking at anywhere but him and she's fidgeting with her fingers. It seems that she doesn't make it a habit to act contrite and her actions are telltale signs that she is really serious in her effort. As he dragged the silence between them, she has gotten more edgy.

"There's nothing to forgive, I've more or lessexpected it anyway. You should do something about clearing up the air around us with buttama and I don't care how you do it, so long this episode never happened again." Kaoru gave a heaving sigh of relief, and then straighten herself, giving him a silly grin. "I've got something for you to see, this is what came to my mind when I saw Kurita. To be honest, I wasn't expecting my interpretation to be that accurate."

Kaoru handed him a folded piece of paper. Hiruma opened it and nearly gaped in reaction. It was a drawing of Kurita; except it's more like a giant walking talking water chestnut, with no lower limbs. A few lines were drawn at the bottom of the figure, to emphasize its movement. In his arms are the bottles of water he'd carried back from the cafeteria. Hiruma's lips twitched in reflex as he tried to bite back a grin that's trying to appear. (To all Kurita fans out there, sorry if this offended you, but it's only for the plot. I'll not be making anymore remarks to the cuddly giant.)

"You're good at drawing," he answered after he's confident enough not to burst into laughter the minute he speaks. Kaoru took back the slip of paper, fully aware that Hiruma also finds it funny. An inspiration popped into her mind and she decides to act on it. "Arigatto. By the way, have you had your dinner? I've made extras." When Hiruma lifted a brow at her, she quickly explains. "It's not what you think, I'm used to cook for three as back in my Onii-san's home, we took turns to prepare meals. It's become a routine for me. So…coming?" Actually, she didn't do any of the things mentioned, but Kaoru is determined to have a meal with the teen, never mind the saying of bring a long spoon to dinner when having a meal with the devil.

As he was about to reject her offer and have microwave food instead, his stomach protests fiercely at that choice. Kaoru covered her mouth and close her eyes, to give him a sense of privacy to make his decision. She pretends not to have heard the rumbling sound. Hiruma was pissed and modified; this is the second time in the same setting that his behavior had made her laugh. The last time was their 1st encounter of each other. At least this round, she has the decency not to utter any sound. "Half hour later. I never forgo a free meal," he replied, adding the last bit to ease his way out of this awkward situation.

----------

Kaoru's mind wandered back to the present and she chuckled at that last incident. Poor guy, just when you least expected, your body go against your will. Then she sobered as that phase also applied the same thing to her, making her drop out of the competition. She stopped before the pedestrian crossing and waited for the lights to turn. As she walks pass Sun Sun Provision, her thoughts went back to the dinner conversation they had, or rather, a one sided monologue as she tried to coax Hiruma to spill some information about himself. All she got for her effort was some vague answers, since she is focusing on his childhood.

However, when she asked him as to when he started playing Amefuto, Hiruma is like a kid in a candy store; he could talk for hours and still not get bored. From a brooding individual to apassionate fan. One thing she knows for sure, the guy is an American Football nut. She learned a lot from him, more than what she got from anyone in Oujou. Finally, she gets to the main topic of this conversation.

----------

"So, do you think I'm able to get myself into Deimon? I heard that not much could get into it easily. Not the 1st year, of course. I wonder which class would I be assigned to? Do I get to choose?" Kaoru voiced her concerns to him as they eat their food in the dining area of her house.

"Does it matter which class you're assigned to?" Hiruma is more relaxed around her as the meal progresses. Kaoru paused, her fork halfway towards her mouth. She made spaghettis, something she mention,not having for a long time. Lucky for her, he didn't make a fuss over the unusual choice for dinner.

"No, it's a subtle way of me asking you which class you're in, but I guess being direct is a better choice of interrogation. Especially if the person-in-question is you," she replies bluntly, her fork pointing at him. Hiruma cackled, his lips twisted to a demonic grin, something Kaoru took time to get used to without breaking into laughter. He played around with the meatballs on his plate, then replies her question with one of his own. "Do you know where's the main notice board where all the after school activities posted their recruitment posters?"

"Yeah, but what has that got to do with the answer to my question?" He didn't answer her. He just continues finishing his serving. Suddenly, a light bulb appears in her mind. "Oh…, I see. Arigatto, I think." (refer to a/n at the bottom) Hiruma smirked a little, and said nothing. The meal went on without any further questions being fired at him. It's the first time he'd ever got himself invited over for dinner, or any other meal, in such personal setting. He finds that he enjoyed it and might return back the favor.

His eyes wandered over the surrounding environment, observing and taking note the way Kaoru make this unit a cozy haven for herself. Spacious is the word he'll use to describe her home. His living room is cluttered with firearms and ammunitions of assortment, unlike hers, which only has a sofa, a plasma TV fixed onto the wall with two tall speakers on either side and a laptop lying on the floor, with a screensaver of Zodiac symbols floating about. Their apartment is about 10 stories high and they occupied the top level. Since it's short compared to the surrounding buildings, it compensates its height in space. One unit, compromising a living/dining room, bedroom, kitchen, balcony and an extra room, is almost doubled the usual size of the rented houses for singles in Tokyo.

His ears picked up the tinkling sounds of wind chimes she hung at the opening towards the balcony. He remarks about it and Kaoru said it's an art piece, designed by her and sold in souvenir shops. Her source of allowance, she answered his unspoken question reflected in his eyes. The translucent texture of the chimes allows light from the setting sun to filter through and cast colorful patterns on the wooden tiles, another difference from his ceramic ones.

He bids her a good night after dinner and went back to his unit. Kaoru stood at her doorsteps, looking at Hiruma and waited until he unlocks and shuts the door behind him before closing her own. She decides to turn in early and went back to school tomorrow to have a chat with the giant. As she performs her nightly ritual, her mind turns over the conversation they had during dinner and the words given by Takami as an advice.

"He's not as bad as you think he is, just very paranoid about his privacy. And maybe a little unsure as to how to open up to someone." Kaoru mumbled aloud to herself.

The next day, she went to look for Kurita-san and have a chat with him. At the same time, she used the opportunity to dig more information about Hiruma. It's from there she found out about Musashi, another fellow classmate who quitted school and their team due to family matters.

Author notes: 1) Hiruma's zodiac is based on research and notes I've gathered over the years about horoscopes. In fact, I've even determined when is his DOB. Ah, but it's my secret. Wanna know, keep reading. 2) I got the info from the back of Book 1, it has his name, class and number of contact. Right, this the end of Kaoru's 2 part flashback. Next story will be a bit on the flyers stunt and the 1st day of school. Oh my, Kaoru, what have you gotten yourself into. Review, I need comments!


	7. Chap 7 Surprising Discovery

Chapter 7

She blinks and her mind wandered back from her musing. Kaoru is now back home nursing a cup of Earl Grey, as she waits for him to return back from his night outing with Kurita. When the girl open the door to her apartment earlier this evening, the last thing she expects to greet her is paper flooding her living space, spilling onto the doorway. A humming sound emitted somewhere under the recruitment brochures as more A4 size are being spit out continuously from an unknown source.

The blond devil is busy typing on his laptop as the owner tried to waddle through the growing tide of posters. "Tadaima, Youichi. I'll help you stack them up after my shower." He grunts in reply without diverting his sight from the screen. After clearing and stacked up all the papers, they tied them up into several stacks, a height of a small child. He carried them out with him, leaving none behind in her quarters and left the building.

He'd mentioned about distributing flyers with Kurita before the school starts to residences of potential players to her over dinner weeks ago. They've established a pattern over time; the teens would have dinner over at her place, both taking turns to cook for each other for a week, depending on who's free at that time. For Kaoru, it helps her as she finds cooking therapeutic. As for Hiruma, well, he cares. Unless it warrants, Hiruma preferred not to use vocal to express; found it too easily misunderstood due to humans' different perceptions. Only through his actions will one understand his intentions.

The rattling sound on the table draws her attention from the clock to her vibrating handphone. _"Got home. Finished everything. Don't tell buttama about your transfer. Will not sleep a wink until 1st day of school. P.S.: GET SOME FUCKING SLEEP IF YOU'RE READING THIS NOW!"_ Kaoru blinked at crude message and chuckled. She should get some shuteyes. She reflected today's event over her mind as she prepared for bed and recalled Sena as among the potential blackmailed subjects in the Akuma's Handbook. When her head hits the pillow, her thoughts are still running at warp speed, analyzing any hidden implications of future turmoil in school. The last thought in her mind as her eyes gets heavier with sleep was 'God bless Sena if Youichi ever finds out about his legs.'

----------

On the 1st day of Spring Semester, est. mid March

Kaoru stared at the mirror in her closet. It's a lucky thing she didn't have an elder sister like Mamori to fuss over. The grimace on Sena's face is still fresh in her mind. Poor kid, he looked like the suit nearly swallowed him up whole. The image reflected a girl with short hair, neatly parted to a side, clean pressed uniform. She eyed at the scarf round the collar of her blouse. " This is not me," she muttered as her hands undo the knot and pull the offending cloth out.

Kaoru looped it around her neck and tied it like a bandana. Then, she reached for a tube of goo and squeezed a large lump on to her palm. Rubbing both hands together to spread the substance evenly through the hands, she applied it on to her head, making it as messy as possible. Armed with a brush and comb on each hand, she rearranged the matted hair to her liking. Once satisfied, she grabbed her school issue bag and head out. Hiruma must have already left, since no one answered her knocks on the door.

At the school compound

Kaoru make her way towards the administrative office, with a number of students checking her out as she passes by. She didn't spot Sena or Mamori anywhere so she guessed they've might not reached school yet. She noticed numerous club stands at the main gate recruiting freshmen. Some club members shoved flyers into her hands as she bypass them. All of which are dumped after a quick glance. After announcing her arrival through the clerk, she was being brought to the principal's office by the Disciplinary Master.

Seems like her request to be put into Year 2 Class 1 has reached the ears of the adults. All the teachers in the common room are staring at her like she's some kind of freak show. Those nosy pokers sorely tried her patience. Luckily, the interview with Principal Kogure Masanori was short and sweet. No questions asked about her wishes, although the eye exchange she'd witness between them when they think she wasn't looking tells her that they're as curious as they come. The interview ended with the headman extending an unusual request that should she ever wish to swap to another class, they'll do it, no questions asked.

Kaoru nodded her head solemnly, her expression serene while her mind is laughing like a maniac. They don't know her true intentions; let them be ignorant. After an introductory tour of the school premises, they finally arrived outside her assigned class. The bell had rung a long time ago and everyone has scrambled back to their classes. The DM entered first, giving the students a brief foreword of a new pupil, who will be joining them. Kaoru stepped inside when her name is called. Nodding to the homeroom teacher, he walked away and shut the door behind him.

Possessing a keen sense of hearing, she overheard a soft sigh of relief coming from the other side of the door. Her eyes scanned the interior of the room and notice two prominent missing figures. _Huh, so that's the reason and it's definitely not Kurita._ After writing her name on the chalkboard and reintroduced herself, the teacher, Mr. Tanaka, asked her to pick a seat among the empty lots in class. Turning her head about, she did make a few selections but decided to choose somewhere closer to the sliding doors. Instinct tells her it will come in handy.

The girl also took note of the unusual amount of empty seats and spaces given to one particular chair at the back of the class. No prize guessing the mystery of that phenomenon. She also dubbed her fellow classmates, a herd of sheep, for fearing their resident devil, even though she understood the reason why.

As soon as she settles into her seating position, the door slides open with a bang and a tubby body squeezed himself in. His eyes looked around quickly, and then halted when he spotted Kaoru. "You're here in this class!" he shouted, heading towards her at ramming speed. Everyone scattered away from Kurita's path, least to be run over by the huge linesman. He immediately freezes in his track before her and gave her a gentle welcoming bear hug. She hugged him back gleefully.

Every pair of eyes are so riveted at the scene before them that they failed to notice another tall figure entering the room, with his shotgun slung onto his shoulder. "Damn buttama! You wanna destroy this place! Told you to slow down!"

At the sound of his voice, everyone's attention, sans Kurita and Kaoru, turned to the door. Instantly there was a mad scramble for their seats, chairs screeching and bodies bumping on to each other. They gave Hiruma a 3 ft berth as they quickly settled down. Mr. Tanaka coughed and politely asks the two boys to get to their seats. The devil purposely took a roundabout tour of the class, using the in-between spaces to get to his seat. They cowered and bowed their heads as he stroll passed their tables. Finally plopping down on to his chair, Hiruma lifted his legs and deposit them onto his desk. Both Kaoru and Kurita anime sweat at the gesture. "We'll catch up later, perhaps during break." She nodded and turns her attention back to the teacher.

The morning went by peacefully, even with the akuma in class. Kaoru keep glancing at her watch; it's almost break time. When the bell finally rings, most of the students scurried out of the class. She went up to the linesman's table and asked him where does he habitually eat. "At the club, but I'm too excited to be hungry." "Then Youichi must be at the roof, spying as usual," muttered Kaoru when she realized the absence of evil aura in class. He nodded, thinking to himself, _It's a bit surprising to have Hiruma giving someone permission to call him by his given name_.

"I'm going to the club now, see you later." As he was about to leave, Kaoru stopped him.

"Matte yo, Kurita. Here's a present for you. Thanks for the last time."

"Iie, betsuni. That's what friends are for." (refer to a/n at bottom)

She shook her head, and thrust the box into his hands. "Take it, it's what friends do to say thank you." He looked down at the gift in his grasp, and nodded. "Mm, arigatto, Kaoru-chan." She waved back at the giant as he leaves the class. Slowly, she lowered her hand. She walks back to her place, glancing about to see if anyone is paying any attention at her. Kaoru took out 2 bento sets and tuck it into a smaller sling bag that she brought along. With the bag sling securely round her body, she moved quietly to the sliding door.

Once outside the class, she closes her eyes, mentally mapping out the layout of the school and the route to get to the roof access. When she lifted her lids, her eyes gleam as she turned her body towards the direction of her destination, with her body slightly crouched. With a single step forward, she sprinted off, dodging people along her way. Everyone that she passes stood rooted as they wonder who on earth just went by. As she's about to approach the staircase, someone zips pass right in front of her (it's Sena if you're wondering). _Oh shit…_she cursed mentally, as the distraction causes her to change direction, setting her in a collusion course towards a pair of girls. They saw Kaoru and instinctively backing their steps slightly, with their arms folded in front of them to act as a barrier.

Her reflexes kick in; she immediately stretched both her arms out, using the shoulders of the two students, Kaoru flips over their heads. Upon landing in a runner's start-up position, she grunts slightly at the pain. Lifting her hind legs, she ignored the twang at her old injury and dashed off again. She vaguely hears someone cried in astonishment at the background as she leaps up the steps three at a time. Luckily she took some painkillers this morning; otherwise that earlier maneuver would have sent her flat onto the floor when she landed.

Seems like the daily training with the guys have finally paid off; she has regain back her stamina she's used to during her days in junior high, and her speed is remarkable. She skidded into a halt at the entrance of the roof access, breathing at a faster pace. Hiruma hear her arrival by the screeching sound of her sneakers on the concrete. He turned, observing her as she catches her breath. She pressed the button on her watch, and look at the timing she set earlier. "Not bad, still maintaining at a constant speed of 4.6s. Here, bento." Kaoru handed the bag over to her neighbor and went to a spot to sit down. She rubbed both her legs to cool down then massaged her right knee as Hiruma sat down beside her and digs in.

She swallowed some painkillers before tucking in to her lunch. Hiruma notices her actions. "No training for you for a week." Kaoru nodded slightly, feeling a bit disoriented as the double whammy effects of the drugs kicks in. "Provisions," she spoke softly. "I'll get them, since the gums ran out couple of days ago." "Domo, You-kun." Kaoru only call him that when she's too tired to call his given name in full. She fell asleep under the allure of the warm sunlight as Hiruma continues his surveying. Even with the ring of the bell, he didn't wake her. Only the cool evening wind blowing at her face did she wake up from her slumber.

The first thing she noticed is that her head is on someone's shoulder and a coat, twice her size, is draped over her. Kaoru lifted her head and looked blearily up at the pair of emerald eyes that was watching over her. "Give me 5 more minutes," she mumbled and went back to her original position. Hiruma shook her, not giving her an extra second of dozing. She grumbled a bit but obligingly removed herself from his shoulder and yawned. Slowly, she stood up and tests her right knee, wincing a little at the lingering pain. Signing mentally, Hiruma slung her arm over his shoulder and helped her down the flight of stairs to the nurse's room. No one's around since the last bell of the day has gone off and everyone has gone home.

"We're having dinner in school. Wait here while I go to Son Son." Kaoru waved him off and went to sleep again on the bed. When Hiruma came back, she's still fast asleep. "Oie, wake up, I've found a miracle. This year, Christmas Bowl will be within reach. Are you listening at all, baka neko?" He used his hand and shook her shoulders violently. Kaoru swats his arm away and buried her face deeper into the pillow. "Fine, but you're still gonna listen to what I've discover. The kid, Kobayakawa Sena, is going to be the star runningback for Deimon. He'll be Devilbats's tramp card."

Kaoru shot upright from the bed, then hugged her head as blackness descends over her vision. Sena and Amerfuto string together in a single sentence! This is not good. Hiruma lifted a brow at her reaction. She rubbed her eyes and focus her sight on him, "Why him?"

'I saw him earlier as I left the store with these,' he lifted the plastic bag, " when he cut passed me and continue dodging the moving crowd at that speed." Pulling out a couple of boxes of sandwiches, he threw one at her. "Seems to me on his first day of school, he's been picked at by some punks. A cut in that speed and a spin without any decrease in acceleration. I'm no fool to ignore that talent."

"What about the punks? What happened in the end?" Wings and tail suddenly sprout out of nowhere as he starts to laugh maliciously. "That chibi got away safely, of course. As for the three punks, let's just say they wouldn't be bothering him any longer." Kaoru felt a sudden pity for those unfortunate souls. "You do know that he's Mamori's childhood friend and playmate." Shrugging, he takes a bite out of his dinner. As she was about to sink her teeth into the bread, Hiruma's stare tells her that she forgotten to mention something.

Kaoru backtracks the conversation up to the part where she woke up in a hurry. "My reaction towards your choice, right? I met him, Sena, and Mamori during the acceptance ceremony." She hesitated, and then continues. "His speed is not a mystery to me. He nearly ran into me as I was turning into a corner. His precise braking, then dodge to the side with minimal effort before taking off at that neck-breaking speed is something I'll never forget."

"Kekeke, so that's settled. The pipsqueak is the team's runningback, jersey number…hmm, ah! #21. He'll be Eyeshield 21." Hiruma's grin just got more satanic as more thoughts started to generate in that mind of his.

"Youichi, you do know the actual meaning behind that number, do you?" Kaoru commented as she watched the devil wrote down the scary ideas he concocted up. "It's the Notre Dames University's…."

"Wakateruyo! How many people actually knew the name 'Eyeshield 21'? No one in Japan! Unless they're sports journalists who did research on American Football College, kuso chibi is quite safe."

"Murphy's Law, Youichi…" Kaoru stopped mid-sentence when he holds a finger out and silent her. "Trust me, I know what I'm doing." The coolness of his fingertip burns into her warm lips, reminding her of his calm and analytical nature. Hiruma is not a man who would risk anything without thinking through. She nodded, sighing aloud, letting him know she agreed against her better judgment.

Polling for Kaoru's potential boyfriends, (I'm thick skinned, so what! --)

1) Takekura Gen (Musashi) from Deimon

2) Juumonji Kazuki from Deimon

3) Habashira Rui from Zokugaku

4) Takami Ichirou from Oujou

5) Kidd from Seibu

6) Kakei Shun from Kyoshin

7) Akaba Hayato from Bando

Others, give names if you choose this.

Author's notes: Ya-Ha! Thanks to dittogirl for reviewing. One is better than none! If no choice have been posted before Monta's appearance, I'll set a scene where the devil and the cat get themselves in a compromising situation. It will definitely spoilt the Hiruma x Mamori, or even prompt the discovery of the green-eyed monster. Call me evil! Mwahahaha. Regards to the item Kaoru gave Kurita, it's a cake that everyone saw in the manga and TV series. The incident happened during her training with the guys before the school starts. If anyone is interested in knowing, tell me and I'll post it up.


End file.
